Surgeon to Discuss Cardiac Pioneers at Reid Heart Program

PINEHURST – Scientific interest in the heart as an essential human organ dates from the early Greeks, but surgery on a living human heart is a decidedly modern phenomenon.

Peter Ellman, M.D.

Peter Ellman, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon with the Reid Heart Center at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, will discuss the tremendous strides in heart surgery and the physicians behind them during a program called “Heroes of the Heart: Cardiac Surgeon Pioneers Who Had the Right Stuff.”

The Reid Heart Education Series program will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, in the lobby of the Reid Heart Center at 120 Page Road North, Pinehurst.

Dr. Ellman, who is one of three cardiothoracic surgeons on the Reid Heart Center team, will discuss the development of the heart-lung machine, which revolutionized heart surgery with the mechanical ability to support the functions of the heart and lungs during heart surgery. He will also talk about the first “blue baby” operation and the evolution of valve repair.

During a discussion of the pioneering surgeons behind the first heart transplants, Dr. Ellman will talk about why early transplants didn’t work and why transplantation is so successful today. He will also discuss the evolution of the artificial heart before concluding with a look at the future of heart surgery.

Dr. Ellman majored in English at Dartmouth College before earning his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 2000. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Virginia and his cardiothoracic training in Gainesville at the University of Florida.

Certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, he specializes in all aspects of adult cardiac surgery including coronary artery bypass surgery, valvular repair and replacement, and diseases of the aorta. He also treats patients with non-cardiac diseases of the chest.

There is no charge to attend Dr. Ellman’s program on April 17, but registration is necessary as space is limited. For more information or to register, please call (800) 213-3284.